Manufacturers prepare to LEAP into Rochester

Saturday

Jan 12, 2013 at 3:15 AM

By Samantha Allensallen@fosters.com

ROCHESTER — With the start of the new year, the Lilac City headquarters for Albany International Corp. is looking ahead to a promising future, with equipment set to move into a new facility this summer.

According to Vice President of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications Susan Siegel, with French aerospace maker Safran USA constructing a new building to co-locate with Albany Engineered Composites (AEC) on Airport Drive, equipment will be moved in either June or July with production to start up toward the end of 2013 at the Granite State Business Park.

Siegel said the two are collaborating on a new design of the LEAP engine — which provides up to 15 percent better fuel consumption and an equivalent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to modern CFM aviation engines, according to AEC’s website. Siegel explained Safran is technically AEC’s customer, but they have a “collaborative relationship.”

“We certainly are collaborating with Safran … There are two additional parts we’re currently making for the LEAP engine,” she said. “These two additional parts are called platforms and spacers … Those products are what we’re currently manufacturing for the LEAP engine and Safran is a part of that manufacturing process.”

Albany International is a global advanced textiles and materials processing company, with two core businesses. The “machine clothing” portion of the company is the world’s leading producer of custom-designed fabrics and belts essential to production in the paper, non-wovens and other process industries. Albany Engineered Composites is a rapidly growing supplier of highly engineered composite parts for the aerospace industry. The company operates 18 plants in 11 countries and employs 4,300 people worldwide.

Safran USA, which has its head offices in Arlington, Va., is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Safran group, a global leader in aerospace, defense and security. Safran USA came about just as the group first formed in 2005.

Over the next several years, about 400 new jobs will reportedly come to Rochester with the new 275,000-square-foot plant manufacturing plant centering itself in the local business park.

The highly-touted LEAP engine is aimed at implementing green technology while retaining aviation power — in recent years, airline companies such as Airbus and COMAC have announced interest in using the fuel-efficient “LEAP-X” engine on their planes. President and CEO of Albany International Joseph Morone previously said since Safran first launched its new engine program in 2009 it is set to become “the largest and fastest growing engine program in the history of aviation.” He estimates 45 percent of all new aircraft built in the world between 2016 and 2030 will be powered by the LEAP device.

The LEAP design can reduce the weight of a plane by about 1,000 pounds.

Siegel noted other new designs will be announced by AEC come early February, and the company is currently in a confidentiality period with their customers to protect their products. AEC’s customers include prominent companies like Rolls-Royce, Orbitall and The Boeing Company.

“Albany has a history of collaborating closely with our customers so we can certainly bring them the value in any of our technologies whether it’s in aerospace composites or our machine clothing, but I would say the relationship we have the with Safran is certainly one that is unique to us …,” Siegel added. “I think the future is wide open.”

The new Safran structure also has a research and technology center, referred to as “R&T.” Siegel said that new institution could also bring new horizons for the company.

“I would certainly expect that in the years ahead, we’ll be seeing development work coming out of that R&T Center, which would lead to more programs with more customers and as a result more manufacturing in New Hampshire,” she said.